Mark 2:1

at home: Jesus spent most of the first three years of his ministry in and around Galilee with Capernaum the center of his activity. He may have stayed at the home of Peter and Andrew.​—Mr 1:​29; see study note on Mt 9:1.

Mark 2:2

Marginal References

+Isa 61:1; Eph 2:17; Heb 2:3

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Mark 2:3

Marginal References

+Lu 5:18, 19

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Mark 2:4

removed the roof . . . digging an opening: The roofs of many houses in first-century Israel were flat and were accessed by means of stairs or an external ladder. Mark’s account does not specifically state what the roof of this house was made of. But roofs were often constructed of wooden beams covered with branches, reeds, and a layer of earth, which was plastered. Some houses had tiles; according to Luke’s account, the man was lowered “through the tiling.” (See study note on Lu 5:​19.) The friends of the paralytic man could easily have made an opening that would allow enough space to lower the stretcher into the crowded room below.

Mark 2:6

Mark 2:7

Marginal References

+Joh 10:33; Ac 6:11

+Isa 43:25

Mark 2:8

by his spirit: Or “in himself (in his own mind).” Here the Greek word pneuʹma evidently refers to Jesus’ perceptive powers. Isa 11:​2, 3 says about the Messiah: “The spirit of Jehovah will settle upon him,” so he would not base his judgment on “what appears to his eyes.” As a result, Jesus was able to discern the thinking, reasoning, and motives of others.​—Joh 2:​24, 25.

Marginal References

+Mt 9:4; Lu 6:8; Joh 2:24, 25; Re 2:23

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ad 597, 729

Mark 2:9

Which is easier: It would be easy for someone to say that he could forgive sins, since no visible evidence would be needed in order to substantiate such a claim. But to say, Get up . . . and walk required a miracle that would make plain for all to see that Jesus had the authority to forgive sins. This account and Isa 33:24 link sickness to our sinful condition.

Mark 2:13

Mark 2:14

Levi: In the parallel account at Mt 9:9, this disciple is called Matthew. When referring to him as a former tax collector, Mark and Luke use the name Levi (Lu 5:​27, 29), but they use the name Matthew when mentioning him as one of the apostles (Mr 3:​18; Lu 6:​15; Ac 1:​13). The Scriptures do not reveal whether Levi already had the name Matthew before becoming a disciple of Jesus. Mark is the only Gospel writer to mention that Matthew Levi was the son of Alphaeus.​—See study note on Mr 3:​18.

tax office: Or “tax collection booth.” This could be a small building or a booth where the tax collector sat and gathered taxes on exports, imports, and goods taken through a country by merchants. Levi, also known as Matthew, worked at a tax office located in or near Capernaum.

Be my follower: The Greek verb used in this exhortation has the basic sense of “to go along behind, come after,” but here it means “to follow someone as a disciple.”

Mark 2:15

dining: Or “reclining at the table.” To recline with someone at a table indicated close fellowship with that person. Thus, Jews in Jesus’ day would normally never have reclined at the table, or taken a meal, with non-Jews.

Mark 2:23

Mark 2:25

Marginal References

+1Sa 21:1-6

Mark 2:26

in the account about: The Greek preposition e·piʹ used here can refer to time or to place/location, such as a passage of Scripture. Most translators understand it to mean “when (Abiathar was . . . ).” However, as explained in the study note on Abiathar the chief priest in this verse, the historical event that Jesus is referring to (1Sa 21:​1-6) makes it more likely that the Greek preposition should be understood in a locative sense, that is, referring to a Scriptural account. A similar Greek structure is found at Mr 12:26 and Lu 20:37, where many translations use the phrase “in the account (passage) about.”

Abiathar the chief priest: The Greek term used here may be rendered “high priest” or “chief priest.” The latter rendering is more appropriate for Abiathar, since his father, Ahimelech, was high priest on the occasion described. (1Sa 21:​1-6) Abiathar is first mentioned shortly after David entered the house of God and ate the showbread. It seems that as a son of High Priest Ahimelech, Abiathar was already serving as a prominent, or chief, priest at that time. He was the only son of Ahimelech to survive the slaughter by Doeg the Edomite. (1Sa 22:18-​20) He later became high priest, evidently during David’s reign. Even if the rendering “high priest” is used, the Greek construction rendered “in the account about” is broad and may refer to the larger section of 1Sa chapters 21 to 23, where Abiathar was the most well-known high priest. Some Greek scholars favor the rendering “in the time of Abiathar the high priest,” which could also refer to the overall time period, including the time when Abiathar later became high priest. Whatever the explanation, we can be sure that this statement of Jesus was in harmony with the historical facts.

house of God: Here referring to the tabernacle. The account Jesus refers to (1Sa 21:​1-6) occurred when the tabernacle was located at Nob, a town evidently in the territory of Benjamin and close to Jerusalem.​—See App. B7 (inset).

Mark 2:27

Mark 2:28

Lord . . . of the Sabbath: Jesus applies this expression to himself (Mt 12:8; Lu 6:5), indicating that the Sabbath was at his disposal for doing the work commanded by his heavenly Father. (Compare Joh 5:​19; 10:37, 38.) On the Sabbath, Jesus performed some of his most outstanding miracles, which included healing the sick. (Lu 13:10-​13; Joh 5:​5-9; 9:​1-​14) This evidently foreshadowed the kind of relief he will bring during his Kingdom rule, which will be like a sabbath rest.​—Heb 10:1.

According to Mark

2 However, after some days he again entered into Ca·perʹna·um, and the word spread that he was at home.+2 And so many gathered that there was no more room, not even around the door, and he began to speak the word to them.+3 And they brought him a paralytic carried by four men.+4 But they could not bring him right to Jesus because of the crowd, so they removed the roof above Jesus, and after digging an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith,+ he said to the paralytic: “Child, your sins are forgiven.”+6 Now some of the scribes were there, sitting and reasoning in their hearts:+7 “Why is this man talking this way? He is blaspheming.+ Who can forgive sins except one, God?”+8 But immediately Jesus discerned by his spirit that they were reasoning that way among themselves, so he said to them: “Why are you reasoning these things in your hearts?+9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and pick up your stretcher and walk’? 10 But in order for you to know that the Son of man+ has authority to forgive sins on earth—”+ he said to the paralytic: 11 “I say to you, Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go to your home.” 12 At that he got up and immediately picked up his stretcher and walked out in front of them all. So they were all astonished, and they glorified God, saying: “We have never seen anything like this.”+

13 Again he went out alongside the sea, and all the crowd kept coming to him, and he began to teach them. 14 And as he was passing by, he caught sight of Leʹvi the son of Al·phaeʹus sitting at the tax office, and he said to him: “Be my follower.” At that he rose up and followed him.+15 Later he was dining in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many of them who were following him.+16 But when the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they began saying to his disciples: “Does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them: “Those who are strong do not need a physician, but those who are ill do. I came to call, not righteous people, but sinners.”+

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees practiced fasting. So they came and said to him: “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees practice fasting, but your disciples do not practice fasting?”+19 So Jesus said to them: “While the bridegroom+ is with them, the friends of the bridegroom have no reason to fast, do they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.+20 But days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them,+ and then they will fast on that day. 21 Nobody sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old outer garment. If he does, the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear becomes worse.+22 Also, no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. But new wine is put into new wineskins.”

23 Now as he was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, his disciples started to pluck the heads of grain as they went.+24 So the Pharisees said to him: “Look here! Why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 But he said to them: “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and the men with him were hungry?+26 How, in the account about A·biʹa·thar+ the chief priest, he entered into the house of God and ate the loaves of presentation, which it is not lawful for anybody to eat except the priests,+ and he also gave some to the men who were with him?” 27 Then he said to them: “The Sabbath came into existence for the sake of man,+ and not man for the sake of the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”+